Learn About How Vikings Actually Lived at Discovery Times Square’s New Exhibit

By Samantha Neudorf February 4, 2016

See how the Vikings really lived their lives and walk out of this exhibit with a whole different perspective.

When you think of Vikings, the first image that may come to mind are men in horned helmets, but that is actually incorrect. In fact, those helmets did not exist until the 19th century when Austrian composer Gustav Mahler wanted to use one for one of his operas.

Contrary to popular belief, Vikings were actually traders, farmers, merchants, and craftspeople, and were oftentimes women and children. The word “Viking” means going on a trade or a raid in Scandinavian.

From Feb. 5 – Sept. 5, families can step back into the Viking Age (8th-11th centuries) at Discovery Times Square to learn who the Vikings truly were and debunk any misconceptions. Around 500 artifacts from the Swedish History Museum in Sweden will be on display—many of which have never left Scandinavia.

“We are really excited that New York will be the next stop for our exhibition,” Maria Jansén, general director at the Swedish History Museum, said in a statement.

The two-story exhibition begins with a short film to preface the way Vikings live. Then, walk through the cultural items that represented who the Norse people were, such as brooches, jewelry, and rune stones. Downstairs, you will find items of importance to families and households, swords and weapons, and Norse mythology.

Kids will enjoy the many interactive, touch-screen exhibits, including a chess-like game called Hnefatafl, building a Viking boat, and excavating buried ship parts. Don’t miss out on seeing all of the swords made by the high-quality sword maker, Ulfberht, and lift a replica of one to see how heavy it is.

Main image: A replica of a viking ship
Photo credit: Discovery Times Square